Chapter 326 Huge Bonus
Chapter 326 Huge Bonus
Just when Jiang Miao and his wife were traveling with their family and inspecting the branch company's properties.
The Sky City project near Minqin County.
After the unremitting efforts of the Blue Whale Airship Company, the entire Sky City has finally completed most of the infrastructure construction work.
Blue Whale Airship’s general manager Wan Gaofeng, chief technology officer Hou Xin, etc.
There are also Dai Yunfei, general manager of Blue Whale Aerospace, and Hong Tiansheng, chief technology officer.
At this time, everyone is inside the control center of the Sky City.
At the space launch site in the central area of the Sky City, a carrier rocket is displayed on one of the launch sites.
If you are a space enthusiast who is familiar with the domestic launch vehicle family, even if the paint of this launch vehicle has been changed to the blue-gray and white colors of Blue Whale Aerospace, you can still easily recognize its original name: Long March 11.
Compared with other private aerospace companies, Blue Whale Aerospace does not develop liquid fuels such as liquid oxygen-kerosene, liquid oxygen-methane, liquid oxygen-liquid hydrogen, nitrogen tetroxide/unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine, etc.
Instead, they chose a relatively niche solid-fuel carrier rocket, the Long March 11, which has very large domestic reserves.
The reason for choosing Long March 11.
Blue Whale Aerospace made this cost-effective choice after comprehensive consideration.
On the one hand, the domestic inventory of Long March 11 is huge and the price is relatively cheap
On the other hand, the Long March 11 is relatively light, with a maximum take-off weight of only about 58 tons. Compared with other launch vehicles that start at several hundred tons and need to be filled with liquid fuel on site, the Long March 11 has an advantage in weight.
After all, the payload that Sky City can currently use for aerospace projects is only about 2000 to 2500 tons, and this is the payload obtained as Sky City continues to expand.
Besides.
Then the Sky City launch site has a huge advantage, which is that it is extremely fuel-efficient.
Compared with launching near the ground, launching at an altitude of 1.2 meters can effectively save about 10% to 15% of the fuel of the launch vehicle.
According to previous tests, the Bluestar-11 carrier rocket, which is a modification of the Long March 1, can save about 12.7% of fuel when launched from the Sky City launch site.
You should know that the maximum payload of the Long March 11 in low-Earth orbit is 1 ton; the maximum payload in sun-synchronous orbit is 0.7 tons.
After changing to launching from the Sky City launch site, its maximum payload in low-Earth orbit is 4.8 tons, and its maximum payload in sun-synchronous orbit is 4 tons.
This payload is almost comparable to the Long March 458 with a maximum take-off weight of 3 tons.
In terms of launch costs, the overall launch cost of an improved version of Bluestar 1 (excluding payload) is about 3.5 million yuan.
If it is a low-Earth orbit, the cost per ton of payload is about 7200 million Huayuan; if it is a sun-synchronous orbit, the cost per ton of payload is 1.14 million Huayuan.
What is the level of this cost?
Before the catastrophe, according to data from the first quarter of 2025, SpaceX's launch cost per ton of payload to low-Earth orbit dropped to US$890 million, equivalent to about RMB 6300 million per ton.
It looks like this is not as good as SpaceX.
But in fact, Bluestar 1 was just a preliminary attempt.
Because the project is still under improvement.
Hong Tiansheng will be responsible for the next step of improvement work. After adopting new shell materials, the overall payload can be further improved.
If launched into low-Earth orbit at an altitude of less than 500 kilometers, its maximum payload is expected to reach an astonishing 6.5 tons.
This is the huge advantage of the Sky City launch site.
The reason why such a powerful bonus effect can be achieved.
The reason is that the air in the sky city is thin, the air resistance is relatively small, and it is closer to outer space, which can effectively save fuel for the launch vehicle.
...
"The countdown begins... Ten..."
"Nine…"
"... "
"one…"
"ignition!"
The rocket fuel at the bottom of Blue Whale 1 was ignited. Solid fuel is different from liquid fuel, and its engine is also very different.
The hot tail flame gushed out from the hole at the bottom, and the reaction force generated pushed the carrier rocket away from the launch pad.
Soon, Blue Star 1 soared into the sky, and in the tracking surveillance footage, it became smaller and smaller, and farther and farther away, until it disappeared from sight.
However, the monitoring radar system is still closely monitoring the radar signal of Blue Star 1.
After adjusting its flight trajectory according to the deflection force of the earth's rotation, Bluestar 1 quickly broke away from the constraints of the atmosphere, broke through the boundaries of the Karman line, and entered the vast outer space.
"Report, the first and second stage rocket bodies separated successfully..."
"Start the electromagnetic particle engine."
"position…"
After entering low Earth orbit.
The first and second stage main bodies of Bluestar 1 have been completely separated. At this time, the second stage main body is not a solid fuel engine, nor a liquid oxygen-kerosene engine, but an electromagnetic particle engine.
This engine also uses the technology of Minqin Group, which uses silver-coated silicon carbide nanotubes. This nanotube is not only resistant to high temperatures, but can also efficiently eject charged magnetic metal particles.
The power it can generate is stronger than that of ordinary Hall engines and ion engines, and its structure is simpler.
After entering the low-Earth orbit of outer space, the second stage of Bluestar 1 quickly unfolded its solar photovoltaic film wings, using the electricity generated by solar energy to provide a steady supply of energy to the electromagnetic particle engine.
If ordinary Hall engines can only propel small satellites to change their orbits, then the power of electromagnetic particle engines can easily propel aircraft weighing about ten tons to change their orbits in outer space.
The reason why there is such a huge difference in motivation.
This is mainly because the working principle of the electromagnetic particle engine is almost the same as that of the electromagnetic railgun, and it is a highly efficient electromagnetic railgun.
Since nanochannels are electromagnetic acceleration channels at the nanometer scale, many metal particles with poor macroscopic magnetic performance can still be used as propellant materials for electromagnetic acceleration at the nanometer scale.
For example, semiconductors such as silicon and carbon, or more common metal particles.
The electromagnetic propellant material of Bluestar 1 is a very common metal on Earth: sodium.
Of course, in addition to sodium, other silicon nanopowders, carbon nanopowders, aluminum nanopowders, etc. can also be used as propellants in Bluestar 1.
As time passes by.
The staff inside the control center also held their breath and devoted themselves to their work. They did not breathe a sigh of relief until Bluestar 1 entered the predetermined orbit and became an artificial satellite in the Earth's low-Earth orbit.
"call…"
"Success!"
Clap, clap, clap...Everyone in the control center applauded at the same time.
Wan Gaofeng and Dai Yunfei smiled at each other.
"Congratulations."
"Joy and rejoice together!"
Hou Xin put his arm around Hong Tiansheng's shoulder and joked, "Old Hong, you have to treat me to a big dinner tonight."
"Haha, you kid are indispensable." Hong Tiansheng couldn't suppress the smile on his face.
Everyone left the control center, and the management gathered in the entertainment area of Sky City for a dinner.
The entertainment area of Sky City is quite far away from the aerospace area, about 5 kilometers away. Although it is still the Spring Festival, there are still many tourists coming here to travel.
These tourists were also fortunate enough to witness the launch of Bluestar 1.
Through these tourists’ videos, related news quickly spread on the domestic Internet.
Of course, the official account of Blue Whale Aerospace also informed the audience across the country of the good news as soon as possible.
For example, on the note platform.
The official account of Blue Whale Aerospace released a video announcement that Bluestar 1 successfully launched the Cosmic Observer 1 scientific satellite into low-Earth orbit.
In the video comment section, a large number of comments are rapidly increasing.
Galaxy Aerospace: [Congratulations to Blue Whale Aerospace for a successful start. ]
Blue Arrow Aerospace: [(ω) Seeking cooperation! ]
Interstellar Glory: [We agreed to play with liquid fuel together, why did you secretly launch a solid rocket? ]
Galaxy Power: [Boss Dai! Bring one of your brothers with you. I’m also a fixed launcher! Can you rent the launch site of the Sky City? ]
Jiuzhou Yunjian: [Damn! 58 tons takeoff weight, 4.8 tons of low-Earth orbit payload? Awesome! It’s really going to take off! ]
Deep Blue Aerospace: [Mr. Dai! Can Liquid Hair go to the Sky City? ]
Human high-quality leeks: [Haha, the advantages of the Sky City are wasted. Even with so much fuel reduction, the cost per ton of payload is still tens of millions higher than SpaceX. ]
Science and Knowledge: [@Human High Quality Leek, who only reads public information, you don’t think this is the upper limit of Blue Whale Aerospace, do you? Blue Star 1 is just a preliminary trial product, and Blue Whale Aerospace will definitely make further improvements in the future. ]
Watanabe Shinichi: [If the city in the sky is built above the equator in Southeast Asia, it should be possible to further save launch fuel, right? ]
Novice fisherman: [@Watanabe Shinichi, it is indeed possible, but it should depend on the needs of Blue Whale Aerospace. With the wealth of the Hailufeng system, it is not a problem to build another sky city on the equator of Southeast Asia. ]
Xiao Ming, who studies coral reefs: [I just watched the launch live, and the scene was like walking into the future.]
Nongguo Jelly Master: [@Xiaoming who studies coral reefs, how much is the ticket? ]
Xiao Ming, who studies coral reefs: [@NongguojellyMaster, I am a company welfare, with food, accommodation and air tickets included, 3000 yuan. You can ask the official account of Sky City, there should be a quote there. ]
Moon Guanghan Palace people: [No need to ask above, I just asked, go directly to Minqin County, and then sign up for a one-day tour of the Sky City, including food and accommodation for 1500 yuan. ]
The Emperor's Golden Toilet: [Damn! Money grabbing! 1500 yuan a day?]
Spice Sandworm: [I think 1500 yuan is acceptable, after all, it includes food and accommodation, but I don’t know what kind of services are included? ]
Xiao Ming, who studies coral reefs: [There are many projects on it, including watching stars from the observatory, taking the sky elevator, sky bungee jumping, a sci-fi theme virtual game room, a future city shopping street, a new concept food street, and an independent ecosystem. As for the space launch site, it is not open. If you want to watch the launch, you have to check the official announcement of Blue Whale Aerospace in advance.]
Happy navigator: [Tickets booked! Going next week. ]
Malacca pilot: [Has domestic technology developed to this level? ]
Novice Fisherman: [Haha! Envious! I just met Dr. Hong Tiansheng, the Chief Technology Officer of Blue Whale Aerospace, and asked for his autograph, with a photo (expandable)]
Journey to the West: [Congratulations to Blue Whale Aerospace! ]
Hong Tiansheng put down his phone, smiled and shook his head, picked up a bottle of soda water and took a sip: "Burp..."
"Lao Hong, what are your plans next?" Wan Gaofeng asked casually after ordering the food.
Putting down the soda, Hong Tiansheng replied confidently: "The next step is of course to improve the solid-fuel rocket and determine the model of the first-generation solid-fuel launch vehicle."
Dai Yunfei also echoed: "It is indeed very important to determine the model. After all, if we want to reduce costs, we must mass-produce the same type of launch vehicle."
Wan Gaofeng naturally agreed with this point.
For any industrial product, large-scale mass production can more or less reduce the overall cost. The extent of the reduction depends on the various circumstances of the product.
For example, the prototype of Bluestar 1 is the Long March 11, a carrier rocket that already has the foundation for large-scale mass production.
As for SpaceX's reusable launch vehicle technology, Dai Yunfei and others are not too obsessed with it.
The main reason why the reuse technology of launch vehicles is not taken seriously is that the engines of solid-fuel rockets are different from those of liquid-fuel rockets. Solid-fuel rockets are products designed for one-time use and are rarely considered for reuse.
After much thought, Dai Yunfei and his colleagues felt that reusing fixed-launch rockets was putting the cart before the horse. It would be better to develop cheaper fixed-launch rockets, and with the advantages of Sky City, they could reduce costs more quickly.
What's more, whether it is solid hair or liquid hair, they are just early transitional technologies in the technical planning route of Blue Whale Aerospace.
The second phase of Blue Whale Aerospace’s technical route is actually electromagnetic catapult.
That is, in the city in the sky, taking advantage of the airship's floating ability, we build an upward electromagnetic acceleration orbit in the same direction as the earth's rotational force, and then build a special spacecraft to directly launch the spacecraft into a low-Earth orbit above the Karman line.
Catapult takeoff through this electromagnetic acceleration orbit can further save the spacecraft's starting fuel while increasing the spacecraft's overall payload.
As long as this concept can be realized, there will definitely be no need for fixed engines in the later stage, but electromagnetic particle engines and liquid fuel engines will be used.
At this stage, hair solidification is used because it is conducive to production and preservation, and facilitates large-scale mass production.
If it enters the large-scale mass production stage, the overall launch cost of Bluestar-1 will soon drop to 2 million yuan per satellite, and the payload can continue to increase.
At this stage, the cost per ton of payload is only about 3300 million to 4200 million yuan.
This is nearly one-third lower than SpaceX's launch cost and is already ready for large-scale commercialization.
Once the research and development of electromagnetic catapult technology is completed, the launch cost per ton of payload will further drop to less than 500 million yuan per ton.
Jiang Miao in southern Yunnan also saw the news about Bluestar 1. He was not surprised by this. After all, Hailufeng Company invested so much money, and with the support of various technologies, it was expected to achieve this result.
However, he still sent a letter of condolences to all employees of Blue Whale Aerospace through the company's internal communication channels.
At the same time, on the other side of the world, a major event has recently occurred.
But that matter is still fermenting in secret.
(End of this chapter)